In my immediate environment three kind of palm trees stand out, the palm fruit tree, the palm wine tree and the coconut tree. Let me tell you about the first.
The oil palm tree know as Nkwu in Igbo and Eyop in Ibibio. Botanically known as Elaeis guineensis, is native to West Africa. And also planted within 20 degrees of the equator. It flourishes in humid groves of tropical climates, requires relatively open ares ro grow and thrives best in well maintained soil.
The African oil palm tree bears a single stem reaching 20 metres with a ringed trunk and a crown of 20-40 large leaves. Male and female flowers grow on the same tree in separate clusters. The fruit is borne in bunches, starting 3-4 years after germination and will ripen 5-6 months after pollination.
The palm fruits are small ovoid oblong fruits that grow in clusters of several hundred close to the trunk on short heavy stalks. The fruits are initially yellowish but turn dark red when ripen.
The oil gotten from the oil palm tree is reddish in colour, has been providing nourishment to Africans for about 5000 years and its one of the most important product of the African oil palm tree. Its a very important culinary ingredient in most local cuisines. It is also has industrial usage in soap production, candles etc.
Unrefined red palm oil is rich in antioxidants, vitamins(A,E,K), beta carotenes( which is responsible for its reddish colour), lycopenes, tocopherols and tocotreinols. The carotene content is about 15 times the carotenes in carrot and 300 times that of tomatoes.
A portugese explorer once described it thus ; it smells of violets, tastes like olives and has a colour that blends foods together like saffron, but even that can't sufficiently describe its special qualities.
